Microsoft

The executive lineup at Microsoft could see more high-level changes this week.

Vice presidents Tony Bates and Tami Reller will be leaving the company, with an announcement of the departures coming in the next few days, according to a story posted Sunday by Kara Swisher at Recode, citing "numerous sources close to the situation."

No word was given on where Bates or Reller might be headed.

Bates has been serving as Microsoft's chief of business development and evangelism, while Reller has been the software maker's head of marketing. The Recode report said that Bates' duties will … Read more

April 8 is the day support for XP ends. Though it may be cold comfort for XP users, it may also be the day that Microsoft updates Windows 8.1.

Early April is shaping up to be a watershed of sorts for Windows users. At the same time that support for Windows XP is ending, the Windows 8.1 update is arriving to the general public, according to Neowin, citing a tweet from Supersite for Windows.

Windows Phone could be the only major mobile OS to see a gain in market share in the next few years.

Released Wednesday, IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker forecasts a rise in Windows Phone's global market share from 3.9 percent this year to 7 percent in 2018. That may not seem like a huge leap, but such growth will outshine the market share declines predicted for the other major mobile platforms.

Although it will still dominate the smartphone landscape, Android will see its global market share drop from 78.9 percent this year to 76 percent … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain -- Lumia lives! Microsoft will continue the Nokia and Lumia brands when it takes over Nokia's phone business, although the company is sending out mixed messages on the details of the transition.

I chatted about the future of Nokia today with Greg Sullivan, Director of Windows Phone, at industry shindig Mobile World Congress. He confirmed that Lumia as a brand would continue under Microsoft, but refused to confirm whether the Nokia name would survive on phones too. But a Microsoft spokesperson has since told me that the handset division of Nokia will continue to make phones … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain -- Nokia's Mix Radio service will be a "key contribution in revitalising the Microsoft brand," after the Microsoft acquisition of Nokia is complete, explained Jyrki Rosenberg, Nokia's vice president of entertainment, in an interview with CNET.

The importance of the music streaming service, Rosenberg said, lies in the lack of financial or technical hurdles to use it. The Mix Radio service is included as standard on all Nokia phones, including the sub $100 Asha range and newly-unveiled Android-powered X phones. There's no required subscription fee and there are no adverts to interrupt your … Read more

BARCELONA, Spain -- "Mapping 1.0 is done," says the head of Nokia Here. He envisions a world of constantly-updating, infinitesimally precise maps guiding us on through the world on our smartwatches and smartphones, as self-driving cars zoom past and delivery drones soar overhead.

"First we had paper maps with lots of colourful lines," says Christof Hellmis, head of map platforms at Nokia Here, "but now the world is moving to the next generation of maps, which will be 3D, and will include Augmented Reality, like our CityLens app."

Microsoft might soon have some stake in Dailymotion, a new report claims.

The company is in talks with French telecom Orange to help Dailymotion expand in the US, Orange CEO Stephane Richard said Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. Richard cautioned, however, that the talks might not lead to a deal between Microsoft and Orange, which has a majority stake in Dailymotion.

Dailymotion was founded in 2005 and is one of the largest competitors to YouTube, providing user-generated content to viewers. Dailymotion has a strong presence internationally, but has been trying to improve its standing in the US. Last … Read more